This Cajun crawfish etouffee recipe is loaded with meaty crawfish tails smothered in a rich gravy with spices and fresh herbs, served over rice. It's huge on flavor and easy to make. One of our very favorites!
Crawfish Etouffee Recipe
We're cooking up a big pot of warm, comforting Crawfish Etouffee in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. Would you care for a bowl? Come on and join us!
Crawfish étouffée is a simple dish of sweet and meaty crawfish served up in a rich and flavorful gravy that is made from a quick roux. The dish includes the Cajun holy trinity of onions, bell peppers and celery, along with lots of garlic, spicy Cajun seasonings, and fresh chopped herbs.
The name itself, étouffée, is a French term meaning "to smother" which refers to the rich gravy that smothers and surrounds the crawfish.
This is food from the heart, a staple of Louisiana, and with one bite, you'll be hooked for life.
Crawfish Season
Crawfish season in Louisiana typically runs from November through July, depending on the weather. Cooking crawfish is typically done in a boil, like a crawfish boil, with lots of corn and seasonings.
Crawfish today is hugely popular in etouffee, which I know you're going to love.
Let's talk about how to make crawfish etouffee, shall we?
Crawfish Etouffee Ingredients
- Butter. Or you can use peanut oil or other vegetable oil.
- All Purpose Flour.
- Vegetables. Onion, Celery and Bell Pepper (the Cajun Holy Trinity) + Garlic. I like to use jalapeno peppers in place of the bell pepper for some extra heat in my etouffee.
- Cajun Seasonings. Try my homemade Cajun seasoning blend. Or you can use Creole seasonings or seafood boil seasoning.
- Cayenne Pepper. Optional, for additional spice factor.
- Salt and Black Pepper. To taste.
- Stock. Use either chicken stock, seafood stock, or vegetable stock. Homemade crawfish stock is awesome!
- Louisiana Crawfish Tails.
- Fresh Chopped Parsley.
- For Garnish. Extra chopped parsley, green onions, spicy chili flakes, hot sauce.
- Cooked Rice. For serving, if desired.
How to Make Crawfish Etouffee - the Recipe Method
Make the Roux. Heat a large pan or pot to medium heat and melt the butter. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Stir constantly for 5 minutes, or until the roux turns a copper color. Do not let the roux burn. A Dutch oven is great for making etouffee.
See my post on How to Make a Roux.
Cook the Vegetables. Add the onion, bell peppers, celery and garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
Stock, Seasonings, Simmer. Stir in the Cajun seasonings, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors develop. I like to simmer 30 minutes.
Crawfish and Parsley. Add the crawfish tails and warm them through. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.
Serve the Etouffee. Serve over white rice (if desired) and garnish with extra parsley and spicy chili flakes.
Boom! Done! Your crawfish etouffee is ready to serve. Looks so good, doesn't it? Man, we love this recipe. Who doesn't love a tasty etouffee?
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Raw Crawfish. If using raw crawfish, cook the peeled tails with with the onion, peppers and celery, then continue with the recipe. The tails will cook through during simmering.
- Extra Ingredients. Bay leaves are a nice flavor addition here. You can also make this recipe with tomatoes for more of a Creole version.
- Other Proteins. You can make this recipe with other seafood, like fish or shrimp. Try my awesome shrimp etouffee recipe. So good! It's more of a Creole version.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my crawfish etouffee recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy Louisiana cooking, including Cajun and Creole cuisine, I have found this book very informative with lots of great recipes and techniques.
- Louisiana Real and Rustic, by Emeril Lagasse
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Shrimp and Grits
- Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Creole Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Cajun Pasta with Shrimp and Smoked Sausage
- Shrimp Creole
- Cajun Corn Maque Choux
- Jambalaya Recipe
- Hoppin’ John
- Cajun Red Beans and Rice
- Creole Chicken
- Chicken Fricassee
- Boudin Balls
- Crawfish Boil
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Crawfish Etouffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter or use peanut oil
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped (I use jalapeno for spicier)
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasonings or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, for spicier
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken stock or use seafood stock
- 1 pound crawfish tail meat par-cooked
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- FOR GARNISH: Extra chopped parsley, spicy chili flakes, hot sauce
- Cooked rice for serving if desired
Instructions
- Heat a large pan or pot to medium heat and melt the butter.
- Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Stir continuously for 5 minutes, or until the roux turns a copper color. Do not let the roux burn.
- Add the onion, peppers, celery and garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
- Stir in the Cajun seasonings, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and stock or broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to let the flavors develop, stirring occasionally.
- Add the crawfish tails and warm them through.
- Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.
- Serve over white rice (if desired) and garnish with extra parsley and spicy chili flakes. Don't forget the hot sauce!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 2/4/22 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 8/2/21.
Vito says
Thanks Mike, one of my favorite dishes. I have never made Crawfish Etouffee, but that will soon change. I can not wait till I make your recipe. So one question, I will use frozen crawfish thawed, shell on. I plan I using the shells for my fish broth. Do I add the crawfish in with the veggie/roux and not at the end?
Thanks in advance. I’ll post my comments when I make your recipe but I will rate it now only because your comments are heart felt.
Mike Hultquist says
I hope you enjoy it, Vito. You can still add the crawfish meat at the end just to warm through (or cook through if they are raw). I do appreciate it. All the best.
Jennifer says
Hi Mike, I've lived in Louisiana most of my life, and I've never seen "raw" crawfish that aren't alive (although that doesn't mean it's not possible). There's an enzyme in the meat that breaks down the muscle and makes it mushy if it's not cooked (hence the "Don't eat the straight ones" advice, so I personally wouldn't trust any that weren't cooked alive.
Ann Baker says
I may have already rated this but it's so good it's worth another mention. Absolutely wonderful! Use The Spice House Cajun seasoning and throw in some diced jalapeno or serrano in addition to the sweet bell pepper. Just the right amount of kick and depth of flavor. Excellent recipe all around.
Mike Hultquist says
Perfection, Ann. Glad you're enjoying it that much. I love the tweaks. I use spicier peppers as well. Cheers!!
Tara says
Soooo good! I am lucky enough to live close enough to New Orleans so I have grown up going to crawfish boils. I peeled and used the leftover crawfish and boil the heads in water and strain to use as my broth. I also add the broth to my rice. This was amazing and I plan to continue using this as my go to etouffee recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Yes!! I love the way you roll, Tara! Sounds so good.
Jennifer says
Can you substitute with other proteins if you don't have crawfish?
Mike Hultquist says
Jennifer, yes, this works GREAT with shrimp. Enjoy!
Dee says
Easy to make and delicious! Thank you!
Mike H. says
You are very welcome!
Maria says
I just made today and it was delicious. I sautéed onions Celery Bell pepper and garlic before adding and added whosshire sauce to blended mixture for flavor.
Mike H. says
Maria, love it. Enjoy the recipe!
Amber says
What is the serving size?
Mike Hultquist says
Amber, it's roughly 1.5 cups without the rice, though you can serve smaller or larger portions if you desire. I divided the pot into 4 servings.
Amber says
Thank you for a quick reply! I appreciate that! Making this for Christmas dinner!
Gail S says
Can this be made a night ahead and then reheated? Also, I see the serving size is 4 if I have 6 should I double everything in the recipe?
Mike H. says
Hi, Gail. Absolutely. In fact, it often tastes even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld together. And for the servings, I have this nice little featured in the recipe card that you can use to see the change in the amounts based on the servings. Just drag it back and forth to see the change.
Liv says
This is a staple in our household. We LOVE this recipe! The only thing we change is we reduce the 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper to 1/4 teaspoon and then add if needed. We love extra spicy food but have found the 1 teaspoon overpowered.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you like it, Liv! YEs, best to adjust heat to taste. I do appreciate it!!
Hale says
This is simple and excellent! foolproof
Mike H. says
Thank you for the review, Hale!
Brianna says
Popeyes used to make an etoufee a looong time ago. and I was craving it, and stumbled upon this recipe! It's my favorite!
Thanks SO SO much!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!! Glad you enjoyed it, Brianna!
Todd Townsend says
Looks great. Will make it this week here in Sweden! Serve with a simple tossed salad with a vinaigrette and a crispy baguette. Wine pairing? Suggestions?
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Todd! A slightly sweet white wine usually makes a good pairing for spicier foods, though I think a red pinot noir works, too.
LYNETTE POLLEY says
I had felt a bit intimidated to make this, it’s one of our favorite meals when we go to Louisiana. I have to say your recipe was perfect and easy to follow. It turned out so well! My husband is a happy camper!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Awesome, Lynette! Very happy you gave it a go! And very happy you both enjoyed it. I hope you do for years to come. Thanks for sharing. =)
Tina says
Thank you for sharing your recipe. This is one of my family’s favorite dishes. I make it all the time…as a matter of fact I’m cooking it today with soft shell crabs. Finger licking good!
Mike Hultquist says
Soft shell crabs! I'm jealous!! Glad you like it, Tina! Cheers! Enjoy.